Team:
LL was founded by industry veterans (Mission Barns & New Age Eats)
with the skill sets to take LL from zero to unicorn status.
Steen Ooi, PH.D. CEO & CSO (Full Time)
The founder, CEO, and CSO, Dr. Steen Ooi (SO), is a senior scientist with over twenty-three years of research experience employing transgenic technologies to create genetically engineered cell lines and animals, tissue culture, organoids, and bioinformatics. These have been applied to various research fields, including immunology, signal transduction, gene regulation, DNA methylation, epigenetics, stem and germ-cell developmental biology, and reproductive toxicology. As principal investigator (PI) of the Laboratory of Epigenetic Signaling at University College London Cancer Institute (UCL-CI), his laboratory investigated fundamental mechanisms regulating epigenetic information, which controls how genes are correctly regulated and are perturbed in various diseases such as cancer. During this time, as well as contributing to both undergraduate and graduate-taught courses, SO directed a team of five postdoctoral researchers and five research associates and mentored twelve graduate and undergraduate students. In his role as Lead Scientist in the Division of Porcine Cell Engineering at New Age Eats, he led a team of five researchers in creating and characterizing the company’s porcine cell lines, which were screened for sensory qualities, suspension growth and incorporated with plant-based formulations into hybrid food products.
Andrew Sayles COO (Full Time)
Co-founder and COO Andrew Sayles has a strong business development and operations background. At England Logistics, he excelled in sales and operations, steering a satellite office and leading a robust team to achieve record profits, adeptly handling P&L statements, budgets, and forecasts. At Mission Barns, a cultivated fat company, he was involved in several senior, non-technical roles, helping the company transition from its bench- to pilot-scale facility and liaising with government agencies, NGOs, investors, and corporations worldwide to champion the advancement of cultivated meat.
Timing:
Currently, zero companies provide access to off-the-shelf capable cell
lines designed for the unique requirements of CM. The CM industry has reached
the age of specialization, and by being the first to fully embrace the best
technology available (genetic engineering, machine learning, and data analytics)
with the intent of supplying the industry, we can create a monopoly on cell lines
and be the sole supplier for companies working on CM tech for years/decades to
come: all of this will be protected by an ever-widening IP moat.
Capital Efficient:
As a B2B cell line developer and supplier, LL doesn’t have to spend
money on obtaining regulatory approval, consumer marketing, or large,
capital-intensive facilities. We can solely focus on creating what every company
working on cultivated meat tech requires: predictable, economical, stable,
nutritious, and flavorful cell lines.
